January 28, 2024 by arlowiley

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 505 – That Was Then: Ghostbusters

Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson in *Ghostbusters* (1984), directed by Ivan Reitman

Gobbledygeek episode 505, “That Was Then: Ghostbusters,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Who ya gonna call? Gobbledygeek! For the first installment of our That Was Then series, taking a look back at movies celebrating anniversaries in 2024, Paul and Arlo take residence at Spook Central for 1984’s Ghostbusters. Turning a frightful 40 this year, Ivan Reitman’s classic comedy began as a high-concept riff on the “slobs v. snobs” template made popular by Animal House before becoming an inescapable pop cultural juggernaut. The boys discuss the thoughtfulness of Reitman’s direction in tandem with the great László Kovács’ photography, the perfectly structured script by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, how much of Pete Venkman is just Bill Murray, and why the right-wing backlash to the 2016 remake is ironic in light of the original’s sketchy politics.

NEXT: a little of this, a little of that.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:48 – Intro / The Year That Was 1984
00:18:19 – Ghostbusters (1984)
01:36:29 – Outro / Next

MUSIC

“Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr., Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1984)
“Cleanin’ Up the Town” by The Busboys, Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1984)

GOBBLEDYCARES

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter
Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org
Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org
Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

October 7, 2019 by arlowiley

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 386 – “Gobbledyween: The Cabin in the Woods”

Anna Hutchinson, Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Jesse Williams, and Fran Kranz in Drew Goddard’s ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ (2011).

Gobbledygeek episode 386, “Gobbledyween: The Cabin in the Woods,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Leaves are on the ground, blood is on the screen. It’s time once again for Gobbledyween, that most beloved of Gobbledygeek institutions–and one that has not reared its horrific head in full since 2015! All month long, Paul and Arlo will be discussing horror or horror-adjacent movies, starting with one they actually discussed seven years ago: Drew Goddard’s mega-meta 2011 genre critique The Cabin in the Woods. The boys reveal why they’re revisiting the film (hint: it involves sheer incompetence!), break down Goddard and co-writer/producer Joss Whedon’s refutation of horror stereotypes, compare Cabin’s prevailing sense of nihilism to the pragmatic hope on display in Buffy and Angel, and go nuts trying to name all the monsters we see on screen.

Next: the night, it’s deafening. A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis joins us to discuss–finally–Kathryn Bigelow’s 1987 vampire Western Near Dark.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:43:03

00:00:35 – Intro
00:11:12 – The Cabin in the Woods
01:40:36 – Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

“Horror Movies” by Dickie Goodman (1961)
“Last” by Nine Inch Nails, Broken (1992)

THE LINKS

“‘The Cabin in the Woods’ Spoilers: Drew Goddard Speaks Freely” by Maria Elena Fernandez, The Daily Beast

September 1, 2014 by Arlo J. Wiley

Listen to Episode 197, “No Means Nostromo”

Gobbledygeek episode 197, “No Means Nostromo,” is available for listening or download right here, and on iTunes here.

Before there was Juno, there was Alien, the ultimate film about unwanted pregnancy. Eggs shooting down throats, penile heads devouring yours, a brand new lifeform bursting forth from your body…Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic pokes and prods you where you don’t want to be poked and prodded. Paul and AJ kick off an epic podcrawl (see information on participating podcasts in the show notes) about the Alien and Predator films with a look back at the one that started it all, in all its psychosexual glory. Of course, there’s more underneath its skin, including gorgeous photography, eerie sound design, slow-mounting tension, a realistic ensemble, and a star-making performance from Sigourney Weaver. But it’s mostly about dicks. Plus, Gwen Stacy returns to the pages of Spider-Man comics in an unexpected way.

Next: Paul and AJ continue the podcrawl on September 3 with a discussion of John McTiernan’s 1987 classic (?) Predator.

(Show notes for “No Means Nostromo.”)

April 2, 2011 by Arlo J. Wiley

Listen to Episode 48, “Ladylike”

Gobbledygeek episode 48, “Ladylike,” is available for listening or download right here.

March was National Women’s History Month, so of course Gobbledygeek starts April off with a show about…strong women in fiction! Scheduling is our strong suit. Paul and AJ discuss the notion of feminism–spoiler: they are 100% pro-woman, but vague on what the tenets of feminism actually are–and discuss such strong fictional women as Wonder Woman, Ellen Ripley, Dana Scully, and duh, Buffy Summers. Then there’s the discussion of Sucker Punch, and yeah…opinions, they differ. Plus: news and upcoming DVD releases.

(Show notes for “Ladylike.”)